Home at Last
by Ferdy 63
Summary: As I've said before, writing is my therapy and this is my attempt to deal with the upcoming loss of a character at the hands of Negan. Hope you like it and as always I love feedback of any kind as long as it's respectful.
The sound was all he really registered at first. It was so odd. Everything else around him went quiet except for the sound of that bat as it cut through the air. It wasn't just a swish of air. It was a boom like thunder or like a jet engine breaking the sound barrier. He felt himself sink into the ground as it reverberated around him.

He looked around at the people watching. Their faces were ugly, filled with hate. They were talking, yelling curses, but he only saw their mouths moving as the sound came again. The bat swung and the very air vibrated with the violence of its force. He felt himself slump forward.

Rick and Carl were kneeling nearby. Rick was crying. He looked so broken, so afraid. Rick was better than this. He was tougher. He shouldn't be showing weakness in front of these people especially this tin god Negan. Pulling himself upright, he glared up at the man standing in front of him with the weapon he called Lucille. He wouldn't show weakness to these people. That's when the other sounds around him started to come back into focus.

"Oh, taking it like a champ!" he heard his attacker yell as the bat was raised again. Somehow, even through the roar of the gathered crowd and the screams and cries of his friends, he still heard the boom of the wire wrapped wood splitting the cold night air.

After the air settled again, the night seemed to get darker. The moon must be covered by clouds, red clouds. Everything seemed to be covered in a red haze and it was getting colder by the second. He felt himself begin to shiver as he fell off his knees and crumpled toward the dirt again.

The noise around him grew fainter and then he heard something different. It was her. He'd know that voice anywhere. She was singing. He looked around trying to find her. She was here somewhere. He could hear her.

"Beth?" he tried to call but it came out as only a whisper. "Where are you?"

The singing stopped and he could see her now. She was standing near the edge of the crowd smiling at him. He tried to sit up. He had to get to her but the bat whistled through the air again and he was pushed down.

Then she was beside him, leaning down to touch his cheek. Her hand was so warm and so soft.

"It's okay, Daryl. It's all going to be okay now," she told him as she helped him to his feet. "You ready to come with me?"

"Where you been, Beth? I didn't think I'd ever find you again," he told her as they walked slowly through the crowd circling the spectacle of the man with the obscene weapon and the captive audience on their knees.

"I've been here all the time. I could never leave all of you, my family, the people I love," she told him as she took his hand and led him forward. "It's time to go now, though. Will you come with me?"

"I..I want to. I do. What about them? I can't just leave 'em here. They need me," he said as he began to turn back towards the center of the circle. Beth put her hand on his cheek again and turned his face toward her.

"You've done all you can for them, Daryl. They have a hard road ahead for a while now but they can make it without you. You've made them stronger but now it's time for you to rest. Everything is going to be okay now. Just come with me," she pleaded.

He could see the look of concern in her eyes. She was worried for him. She didn't want him to see what was back there.

"What's happening, Beth?" he asked. "Where are we going?"

"It's a good place, Daryl. Everyone's there, Tyrese, my daddy, even Merle. They're waitin' for us. There's nothing back there for you except pain. Let's go now," she said as she pulled gently on his hand.

"I ain't comin' back am I?" he asked quietly, his body shivering slightly at the thought of what she was saying. "Will I ever see Rick or Glenn, any of 'em, again?"

"They'll come too, eventually. We'll see all of them again. They still have jobs to do here. It won't be easy but that's their path. You've got a different path now, a path to walk with me," she assured him. She pointed the way forward toward a clearing in the distance. It was so bright. There was a sunny field and white farmhouse. He could see a man wearing a straw hat and suspenders sitting in a rocker on the front porch. He wanted to go with her but he had to take one more look back.

Negan was standing there holding the wire wrapped bat which now dripped with blood and gore. Rick, Carl, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Abraham and the others were all staring at the scene. A familiar man lay crumpled on the ground at Negan's feet but that was all so far away now and it seemed less and less important as he walked toward the farmhouse.

He could feel Beth's hand in his and hear her humming softly as they walked forward. The sun began to warm his skin and he could smell the jasmine blooming in the field. A sense of peace settled over him. For the first time in his life he was going home. He was finally going home.


End file.
